When it comes to your complexion, the general consensus from magazines on what you should and shouldn’t do is always changing. Trending ingredients come in and out, and all the while you’re left standing in the beauty aisle wondering which products really work. Enter: Skin care products invented by dermatologists. These are an awesome resource because no one knows how to get clear, gorgeous skin like the professionals themselves. When specialists create their own dermatologist skin care lines, you know they’re using the best ingredients to give you the best results – and oftentimes, they’re so confident about them, they slap their own name on the label alongside them.
While just about every skin care line features your basic moisturizer, cleanser, and serum, some professionals’ versions are a little bit out of the box, and that’s because they can afford to be. They’ve seen the positives effects of unconventional ingredients like mushroom extracts and licorice in their own practices with patients, and they know that a good, gritty exfoliant with crystals can do wonders for your complexion. If you’re not sure where to take your skin care routine next, check out these awesome (and surprising) skin care products that were invented by the dermatologists themselves.
1. Heal Your Skin With Mushroom Extracts
Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief, $69, Amazon
Mushrooms aren't just for cooking anymore! Andrew Weil, M.D., created this Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief, which actually uses Chaga and Pleurotus Mushrooms to calm, soothe, and protect your skin. It promises to super hydrating and safe for sensitive skin, and reviewers say that it’s awesome for everyday use because it’s super light and absorbs quickly.
2. Use Licorice To Rejuvenate Skin As You Sleep
Specific Beauty Night Treatment Complex, $18, Amazon
With unexpected ingredients like licorice, Specific Beauty Night Treatment Complex helps to brighten skin tone and reduce fine lines while you sleep. It was designed by dermatologist Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D., who created her Specific Beauty line to “to address the primary concerns for multihued women — uneven skin tone, hyper-pigmentation and texture.”
3. This Refreshing Exfoliant That People Love
Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, $13, Amazon
Howard Murad, M.D, started creating skin care products 25 years ago, and Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser remains one of his most popular. It cleanses and tones with a combination of Jojoba Beads and Sodium PCA, and reviewers love that it’s gritty enough to exfoliate but gentle on sensitive skin.
4. Slough Off Dead Skin With Exfoliating Crystals
Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant, $46, Amazon
Created by beloved celebrity dermatologist Fredric Brandt, M.D., the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant features exfoliating crystals that slough off dead skin for a bright, fresh glow anywhere on the body.
5. A Softening Cream Invented In A 1950s Hospital
Embryolisse Concentrated Lait Cream, $19, Amazon
Embryolisse came about in Paris in 1950 when a hospital dermatologist created this legendary Embryolisse Concentrated Lait Cream. It emulsifies and softens while protecting the skin’s natural pH balance, and viewers say it “leaves skin like velvet.”
6. This Nutrient-Rich Oil Keeps Your Skin Super Hydrated
Triple C Peptide Firming Oil, $41, Amazon
Dennis Gross, M.D., has been practicing as a board-certified dermatologist for over 25 years, so it's no wonder that his products are ridiculously popular. His Triple C Peptide Firming Oil is seriously rich in nutrients and helps to protect both the water and lipid elements of your skin, bringing hydration to even the driest complexions.
7. Relieve An Itchy Scalp With This Calming Conditioner
Derma E Scalp Relief Conditioner, $9, Amazon
Co-founded by Linda Miles, M.D., Derma E created this weird but effective Derma E Scalp Relief Conditioner because beautiful skin (and hair) includes a healthy scalp. It uses all natural ingredients to stop flaking and irritation, and reviewers with really sensitive skin rave that this is “the only shampoo that does not make my scalp feel like it's on fire.”
8. This Shiny Sphere Targets Your T-Zone Pores
Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Thing, $21, Amazon
Another one from Dr. Brandt, this weird-looking iridescent sphere offers the perfect solution for minimizing visible pores. Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Thing tightens, cleans, and shrinks stubborn pores with ingredients that serve to target oil production in the T-zone, a.k.a. your forehead, nose, and chin.
9. An Exfoliating Brush For Cleaner, Clearer Skin
DDF Revolve Professional 500X Micro-Polishing System, $120, Amazon
Creator Howard Sobel, M.D., started DDF Skin Care in order to “empower his patients to treat their skin at home as he would in the office.” The DDF Revolve Professional 500X Micro-Polishing System allows people to do just that with its micro crystals cream and deep-cleaning rotating brush that unclogs pores without damaging the skin, resulting in refreshed and beautifully cleansed skin.
10. Daily Nutrients That Keep Your Skin Healthy
Colbert MD Daily Nutrition, $70, Amazon
These weird Colbert MD Daily Nutrition facial discs are like food for your skin. They’re created by David A. Colbert, M.D., who founded the New York Dermatology Group, and they’re absolutely loaded with “fuel” that encourages cell turnover and increases enzyme action, leaving skin looking (and feeling) soft and clean.
11. A Specialized Serum For Women Of Color
RX for Brown Skin Intensive Exfoliating Serum, $35, Amazon
Board-certified dermatologist Susan Taylor, M.D., created RX for Brown Skin Intensive Exfoliating Serum, which uses glycolic acid to get rid of dead skin and spots that disrupt an even complexion. "This serum improves uneven skin tone — a top aging concern for women of color — by lifting away dead cells with alpha hydroxy acids, lightening dark spots with soy, and softening rough patches with hyaluronic acid," according to Dr. Taylor.
12. Safely Tan Your Face While Unclogging Pores
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads, $46, Amazon
Another one from Dr. Gross, these Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads safely tan your face sans sun while simultaneously unclogging pores and getting rid of impurities. Each pad exfoliates as it cleanses, leaving you with an even, natural-looking glow that reviewers can’t stop raving about.
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Images: Eli DeFaria/Unsplash (1); Amazon (12)
